Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Missing COVID-19 antibodies suggest mystery immune response

Researchers at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center have made important discoveries about the immune response among patients who have recovered from mild COVID-19 disease that could help to inform prevention and treatment methods, as well as improve the efficacy of community testing.

13 Apr 2020

Sanders: In coronavirus relief effort, Congress fell short on paid sick leave

The pressure is building for Congress to pass a fourth coronavirus relief bill, beyond the roughly $2.2 trillion already approved to keep people and businesses viable during an unprecedented viral attack.

13 Apr 2020

UChicago Medicine launches clinical trial to explore plasma transfusions for COVID-19 patients

The University of Chicago Medicine is launching a clinical trial to study whether blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 can be used to treat patients who are still in the hospital with severe disease symptoms.

13 Apr 2020

Rockefeller and SNF announce $3 million expansion of partnership for COVID-19 research

The Rockefeller University and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation today announced a $3 million expansion of their longstanding partnership for research and medicine, bolstering Rockefeller's round-the-clock research initiatives related to COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes it.

13 Apr 2020

Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health launch two COVID-19 clinical trials

Researchers from Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City have launched two vital clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of two drugs - hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin - to treat patients with COVID-19.

13 Apr 2020

Remdesivir shows promise in post-infection treatment for COVID-19 disease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has no approved treatment or vaccine as the world grapple with its wrath. The viral infection has so far infected 1.8 million and killed more than 114,000 people. Now, a team of scientists has shown that an experimental antiviral drug, remdesivir, has shown promise in treating patients with severe COVID-19.

13 Apr 2020

Getting back to normal in Germany after coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe, affecting 1.85 million people and has killed more than 114,000 people. The respiratory illness, akin to the SARS and MERS epidemics in the past, is infectious and dangerous to vulnerable populations, such as older adults and those with underlying health conditions.

13 Apr 2020

Physical-distancing slows spread of COVID-19 and reduces ICU admissions

The world is now at a standstill, as many countries have imposed restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Nations are in lockdowns indefinitely, until the situation improves. The vast spread of the novel coronavirus is now inevitable, as the number of confirmed cases topped 1.85 million, many scientists are determining health measures that could help mitigate the global pandemic.

12 Apr 2020

Avoid COVID-19, stay away from busy indoor places, say modeling scientists

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, health departments all over the world have been highlighting social distancing, especially avoiding crowded spaces like supermarkets, movie theatres, and offices.

12 Apr 2020

Cats, ferrets more vulnerable to COVID-19 than dogs

A recent Chinese study published on the preprint server BioRxiv finds that cats and ferrets appear to be extremely vulnerable to the virus, but dogs, pigs, and poultry do not seem to contract it. As preprints, papers are not yet peer-reviewed, undergoing only basic scientific screening.

12 Apr 2020

Little to lose - time for everyone to wear face masks for COVID-19

The CDC says it's time to encourage everyone to wear cloth face masks as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 disease pandemic. "We have little to lose, and potentially something to gain," say researchers in linked pieces in the prestigious journal, The BMJ.

12 Apr 2020

New Vietnamese enterovirus C4 strains possibly more virulent than B5 strains

A new study published in January 2020 in the journal Scientific Reports reports the presence of a new lineage of enterovirus responsible for the hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD). They think this could be more virulent than the earlier B5 subtype.

12 Apr 2020

First detailed map of transcriptome and epitranscriptome for novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

A team of researchers has come out with the first detailed map of the transcriptome and epitranscriptome of the virulent SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 disease, the illness that has become a pandemic ravaging both developed and less developed countries of the world. The study, published in the journal Cell in April 2020, may assist in the development of new vaccines and therapeutics.

12 Apr 2020

What are the side effects of social and physical distancing?

Researchers Sandro Galea from the Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Raina M. Merchant, from the Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and Nicole Lurie, from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Oslo, Norway, published an opinion paper in the JAMA Internal Medicine titled, “The Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 and Physical Distancing The Need for Prevention and Early Intervention”.

12 Apr 2020

Promising COVID-19 drug treatments identified with new screening strategies

As scientists across the world race to find a pharmacological cure for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an international research group has analyzed more than 10 thousand different compounds and identified six potential candidates, publishing their results in the leading scientific journal Nature.

12 Apr 2020

Recovered South Korean COVID-19 patients test positive again

Following the reports from different countries of patients recovered from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) but testing positive again during the control diagnostic appraisal, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents a similar occurrence in 51 patients.

12 Apr 2020

Stuttering DNA controls development of mosquito embryos

All organisms have DNA, the genetic material that provides a blueprint for life. The long double-helix-shaped DNA molecules in the body's cells are first translated into RNA molecules and then translated into proteins that ensure the functioning of the cell and the entire organism.

12 Apr 2020

UMSOM launches new initiative to expand COVID-19 testing

University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today the launch of a large-scale COVID-19 Testing Initiative that will significantly expand testing capability over the coming weeks, enabled by new funding of $2.5 million from the State of Maryland.

12 Apr 2020

Risks and benefits of separating infants from COVID-19-positive mothers

In a new commentary, Alison Stuebe, MD, President of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, addresses the risks and benefits of separating infants from COVID-19-positive mothers following birth.

12 Apr 2020

Vaccine skeptics may process information differently than people

In 2000, the measles virus was declared eliminated from the United States. Despite cases coming in from outside the country, there were few outbreaks because most people were vaccinated against measles. And then 2019 happened.

12 Apr 2020